Apparatus for manufacturing thread or the like



May13, 1941. L. J. JORDAN APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THREAD OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 17, 1938 INVENTUR LAVERN J. JORDAN ATTORNEY viscose process.

Patented May 13, 1941 APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THREAD OR THE LIKE Lavern J. Jordan,

to Industrial Rayon This invention relates to apparatus for handling threads, filaments, bands, ribbons or the like, hereinafter called thread or the like. More particularly, the invention pertains to apparatus applicable to the manufacture of thread or the like of synthetic origin pursuant to a method in which the thread or the like is precipi-v tated in a coagulating medium. The invention is especially applicable to the production of extrusion products manufactured according to any process, such as the viscose, casein, cuprammonium, cellulose acetate or nitrocellulose process, in which a coagulating bath is or can be used. Multiple filament artificial silk thread, staple fiber, artificial horsehair, artificial straw and similar products requiring long periods of immersion in the coagulating bath to insure coagulation of the innermost portions thereof are examples of materials to the manufacture of which the invention is applicable.

By'way of illustration, but in no sense of, limitation, the invention will be described in connection with the manufacture of multiple filament artificial silk thread produced according to the In this process, as in all processes by which artificial silk thread is produced by a wet method, the mass of material from which the thread is formed is extruded into a suitable bath wherein the thread is coagulated. If the thread is being produced in the conventional manner; i. e.. according to either the spool-spinning system or the pot-spinning system, the thread, after passing through the coagulating bath, is collected in suitable package form either on a rotating spool or in a rapidly rotating centrifuge.

In producing artificial silk thread, it is the usual practice to withdraw the thread from the coagulating bath at a speed of from 60 to 80 meters per minute. Since for various reasons; as, for example, operating convenience, structural limitations, etc., the ,bath is relatively shallow, the depth of immersion of the spinneret be-' low the surface is small and the time of immersion of the thread is correspondingly short. As a result, the thread is often imperfectly coagulated when it leaves the bath. Imperfect coagulation gives rise to variations in such physical properties as tensile strength, luster, dyeing qualities, etc., all of which are objectionable.

It has been'known heretofore that beneficial results with regard to the physical properties of the thread, especially the dyeing qualities, can be obtained by exposing the thread to the coagulating bath for a period long enough to insure sub- Fairview Village, Ohio, assignm- Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application October 17, 1938, Serial No. 235,375

6 Claims. (Cl. 242-53) stantially complete coagulation thereof. To that end, numerous attempts have been made in the past to increase the period of immersion of the thread by slightly increasing the length of travel of the thread in the bath. Attempts to increase the thread travel in the bath have generally consisted of arrangements of guides or the like over which the thread has been drawn before leaving the bath.

These arrangements have, however, met with little success because of excessive tensions imposed on the thread, difliculties in starting the thread through the guides, etc. Among other things, the use of such guides is rendered difli-.

cult by the space in the bath trough allowed by constructional limitations. To provide a long coagulating period for the thread or the like in a comparatively small space by continuously storing a relatively long length thereof in or in contact with the coagulating bath, preferably in the form of an advancing generally circular helix, is one of the objects of the instant invenion.

vious and in part will appear-more in detail hereaf er.

In the drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is asectional elevation, from line |-l of Figure 2, of a conventional spool-spinning apparatus equipped with the apparatus of the invention,.parts being broken away to reveal constructional details; Figure 2 is an elevation of the same apparatus from line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a typical thread-advancing thread store device which may be employed to advantage in the apparatus of the present invention, the section being along line 3-3 of Figure 4; and Figure 4 is an end elevation of the threadadvancing thread store device of Figure 3. Corresponding parts bear corresponding reference characters.

While for convenience the apparatus of the I illustrated embodiment of the invention exemplifies the collection of thread in the form of a spool package, it is not intended thereby to limit the scope or spirit of the invention.

Referring now to the apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2, the thread I is formed in the usual manner by extrusion of viscose from the spinneret 2 into a sulphuric acid coagulating bath 3 which is contained in trough 4 of a conventional spool-spinning machine. In machines of this type there are a plurality of units disposed along a common bath trough, each consisting of a spin- Other objects of the invention in part are obneret and its corresponding collecting spool; however, for clarity only one such unit is shown. The viscose for each spinneret is supplied through pipe 5 and mass tube 8 from a suitable source such as a supply line and pump (not shown). A guide I is preferably provided to guide the thread i from the spinneret 2 onto a unitary thread-advancing thread store device 8 shown as completely submerged in the bath.

On thread-advancing thread store device 8 the thread I is subjected for a relatively long period of time to the action of the bath. This is done by temporarily storing a. predetermined length thereof in a plurality of spaced substantially helical turns which are formed and advanced axially along the device by the motion of its elements during rotation. The thread I is dis charged or otherwise taken off the device and then passes to the collecting spool 8 through its associated traverse guide i0. It is desirable to provide a guide i I to prevent any tangling of the thread at the discharge end of the device which may be caused by the motion of the traverse guide iii of the spool 9, as illustrated by the extreme positions l8' of the guide l0 and correspondlng positions i" of the thread. In Figures 1 and 2 are shown guides 1 and H of suitable design, the operation of which will be explained more in detail hereinafter.

Thread-advancing thread store device 8 may be of any suitable form by which the thread, by the action of the elements of the device, may be continuously but temporarily stored in the form of an advancing generally circular helix. The device, for instance, may take the form of a thread-advancing reel such as that illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. This reel is of substantially the same form and opeirates in substantially the same manner as that shown, described and claimed, in an application entitled. Winding reel," Serial No. 652,089, filed January 16, 1933, by Walter F. Knebusch (Patent No. 2,210,914).

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, it can be seen that the reel is composed of two generally cylindrical members I 2 and I 3. Member i2, which may be termed the concentric member, is mounted on a drive shaft H with its axis concentric with that of the shaft It, to which it is fixed for rotation by set screw l5. Its periphery is composed of bar-like portions I 6 between'which are slots H. Member l3, which may be termed the eccentric member, is mounted with its axis offset from and inclined to that of member l2 and is composed of a spider l8 rigidly supporting bars i8, which are disposed in slots H of member I2. Member Hi may be provided with a bearing portion, such as a sleeve 2| rotatably mounted on the cylindrical bushing 22, which may be so formed and supported on the frame member 23 that its axis bears the aforesaid offset and inclined relationship with regard to shaft i4.

Rotation of theshaft l4, which may be journalled in member 22, thus causes the concentric reel member I2 to rotate. Eccentric reel member I3 is rotated by contact of its bars IS with the bars l6 of member i2. The offset and inclined relationship of reel members l2 and J3 causes 'the thread to progress in spaced helical turns axially along the reel in a manner more fully explained in said application Serial No. 652,089. Any desired predetermined length of thread, within reasonable limits, may thus be continuously but temporarily stored on a threadadvancing reel. The illustrated reel, being supin alignment with shaft 28 on a nalled drive shaft 28.

.any of the holes 44 inthe ported atone end only, has a free end in the sense that its unsupported end is free of a projecting shaft or supporting means which might impede the discharge of thread, toward which free end the thread is advanced by the reel.

The reel shown, moreover, is self-threading because it is made up of two rotatable reel members the peripheries of which intersect. Therefore; after a thread has been started on the reel, further rotation of the reel will cause it to thread itself up, because the leading end of the thread cannot wind about one reel memher only but must wind about both. These features provide great convenience in threading up or starting of the thread on the reel. As a result of the fact that it is supported from one end only, the reel may be said to be of cantilever construction.

It is obvious that various other forms of thread-advancing thread store devices might be used in lieu of the reel shown in Figures 3 and 4.

It has been found advantageous to provide means for-adjusting the position of the" reel so that it may be disposed entirely below the surface of, partly immersed in, or wholly out of the bath. It may, for example, be desired to operate the reel while disposed partly within and partly without the bath. It is more convenient for the operator, who can thus see while threading or starting the thread on the reel, to be able to move the reel to a position in which it is wholly out of the bath. Furthermore, when the reel is removed from the bath, it can thread itself up more readily than when disposed in the bath, wherein the liquid might wash the thread turns oil the reel or entangle them during the threading up operation.

For the purpose of providing adjustability and adaptability to conventional spinning machines, as well sis-portability for the, purpose of cleaning, repairing, etc., the apparatus may be constructed as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In this embodiment of the invention, {reel drive shaft M, by means of which the reel 8 is rotated, is positively driven by some means as a sear 24 which may be driven through idler 28 by a pinion 21 rigidly mounted on a drive shaft 28, as, for example, by pin 29. Suitable means, as an electric motor 3|,may be provided to rotate the drive shaft 28. Motolr 3| may be mounted frame 32 extending over the trough wall 33 on the apron N 01' the spinning machine, which apron 84 may be sloped as shown to drain any liquids spilled on it to the waste trough 35.

Drive shaft 28 is journalled, as in bearing 38, in member 31 carried by frame 32, the upper portion of which member 31 may be curved as at 45 to provide a guide portion for the arm. 88 mounted in the housing 39, in which is four- Housing 38 is formed integral with or otherwise rigidly fastened to the frame member 23 which supports reel 8 and the gears that drive it fromshai't 28, and is ada ted to be swung about shaft 28 as an axis. Am 38, which is rigidly mounted on the housing 39, bears a handle assembly 4| containing a spring 42 and plunger 43 by means of which the reel is held in the position corresponding to I curved periphery I It is desirable to provide 46, rotatably mounted-on rotatably mounted on the of the member 31. means such as roller arm 38, and roller 41,

bracket 48. to support the load exerted by the,

weight of the reel 8 and its supporting and drivmay be devised without departing in any way ing means which would otherwise tend to bend the drive shaft 28. A supportingbracket 49 may also be provided for this purpose. A housing ma be provided to shieldthe reel from any turbulence that might otherwise be set up by rotation of thegears.

The desirability of guiding the thread as it contacts and leaves the reel is just as great when the reel is swung to the various other previously mentioned positions as when it is wholly submerged. However, when the reel is disposed in these other positions, the thread contacts and leaves the reel at angular positions different from those at the lowermost reel position. This is illustrated by broken lines- If o1 Figure 2, which indicate the angular positions of the thread with respect to the reel when the latter is in position 8' above the surface of the bath.

For these reasons the guides I and II may be of the design shown, in which they are curved and mounted on the housing 39, as by lugs 52 and 53, so that they bear the same relationship to the reel 8 in all positions. It will be observed that the guides perform their function throughout the entire range of positions of the reel. That is, as the points at which the thread contacts and leaves the reel change, and consequently the angular position of the thread with respect to the reel changes, due to the abovementioned changes in position of the reel, the thread slides along each guide to the new position, as is illustrated by the position of the thread I with respect to the guides I and II corresponding to reel position 8' of Figure 2.

In the operation of apparatus of the character shown in Figures 1 and 2, the operator, by means ofthe adjusting handle 4|, first swings the reel .up and completely out of the bath to a position thread through guide Land starts it on the reel 8 by winding it one or two turns around the reel. Because the thread is wet, it readily adheres to the reel-bars. Because of the action of the reel as it rotates, the thread forms spaced helical turns on the reel which are advanced axially of the reel and finally discharged from the free end. The operator seizes the end of the thread as or after it discharges, leads it past guide II and starts it on the subsequent collecting or withdrawing device, in this case thespool 9 and traverse guide It). The reel is then swung into the bath until it assumes the desired position, whether wholly or partly immersed.

The present invention makes possible the regulation of the depth of immersion of the reel in the bath, thus varying the degree of coagulation of the thread or the like witha minimum of inconvenience to the operator. As previously infrom the spirit of the invention. For instance, although in the illustrated embodiment of the invention the reel is shown as completely submerged in the bath, it may be so disposed that it is largely, but not entirely, immersed in the bath or even so disposed that it dips into the bath to only a very limited extent. Various methods of mounting and driving the reel may be employed in lieu of that shown; furthermore, the reel may be employed in association with various processing baths other than coagulating baths.

It is intended that the patent shall cover the features of novelty characterizing the invention,

, but no claimis made to thesubject matter defined in the claims of Kline et al. application Serial No. 110,460 filed November 12, 1936.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for handling thread or the like comprising a cantilever thread-advancing thread store device having a periphery of substantially circular cross section upon which the thread or the likeis continuously but temporarllystored in a plurality of spaced, generally helical turns while being advanced towardihe unsupported end of said thread-advancing thread store device, said device having its unsupported end unobstructed by anything impeding the discharge of thread or the like therefrom; a supporting member on which said thread-advancing thread store devic is rotatably mounted from one end thereof; a drive shaft disposed with its axis outside the periphery of said thread-advancing thread store device; means'for rotating said drive shaft; means for rotating said thread-advancing thread store device from said drive shaft; a frame carrying said drive shaft and said supporting mem .ber; means for adjusting said supporting member thread-advancing thread store device is rotatably mounted; a drive shaft mounted with its axis in spaced relation to said thread-advancing thread store device; means for rotating said drive shaft; means for rotating said thread-advancing thread store device from said drive shaft; .a frame supporting said drive shaft and said supporting member: means for adjusting saidsupporting member about the axis of. said drive shaft,

dicated, the adjustable mounting permits the a complete removal of the reel from the coagulating bath for the purpose of starting the thread or the .like upon the reel. After the thread or the like is wound upon the reel, the mounting may be adjusted to provide the desird period of submission of the thread to the action ofthe coagulating liquid. In addition to" facilitating the threading up operation, the apparatus lends itself to use with any conventionaLtype of spinning machine.

' 'It is obvious thatnumerous changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention shown and described herein and that other embodiments whereby said thread-advancing thread store device while mounted upon said supporting member may be bodily moved to a-variety of positions; and means for holding said supporting member in any one of said variety of positions.

3. Apparatus for handling thread or the like comprising a thread-advancing thread store vdevice on which thread or the like is continuously but temporarily stored in a plurality of spaced,

generally helical turns; a supporting member upon which said thread-advancing thread store device is rotatably mounted; rotatable driving means disposed with its axis of rotation in spaced relation to said thread-advancing thread store device; means for rotating said thread-advancing thread store device from said driving means; a frame carrying said rotatable driving means and said supporting member, said supporting member being mounted independently of the source of the thread or the like; means for adjusting said supporting memb'er about the axis of said rotatable driving means, whereby said thread-advancing thread store device while mounted upon said supporting member maybe bodily moved to a variety of positions; and means for holding said supporting member in any one of said variety of positions.

4. Apparatus for handling thread or the like comprising a thread-advancing thread store device; a supporting member on which said threadadvancing thread store deviceiis mounted; rotatable driving means disposed with its axis in spaced relation to said thread-advancing thread store device; means for rotating said thread-advancing thread store device from said driving means; a frame carrying said rotatable driving means and said supporting member; means for adjusting said supporting member with respect'to said rotatable driving means, whereby said thread-advancing thread store device may be bodily moved to-a variety oi positions; and means for holding said supporting member in any one of said variety of positions. 7 i

5. Apparatus of the character described in' claim 4 in which said thread-advancing thread store device is a'unitary self-threading device 01' cantilever construction adapted to advance the thread or the like toward the unsupported end thereof.

6. Apparatus for handling thread or the like comprising a unitary, self-threading thread-advancing thread store device of cantilever construction to which the thread or the like proceeds from its source, said device advancing the thread or the like toward the unsupported end thereof; means including a shaft for actuating said thread-advancing thread-store device and, surrounding said shaft, means for porting said thread-advancing thread store device so that the device as a whole is movable to a variety of positions.

LAVERN J. JORDAN.

adjustably UP. 

